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Spinning a Tale SO interesting ....

I have a conundrum on my hands. Hubby is real good and making stories for school lessons that are normally dead, dull and boring as heck but when I try and do that, my kidd want to run screaming in the other direction! lol

So tell me, how do You spin a story so that your kids want to listen and learn?

even when teaching at coop, I usually have fairly large classes (around 20 or so kids). But when I see that I'm losing their attention or it's getting boring, I become really animated.

For instance, we were discussing WWI and the Great Depression at my history class this week at co-op - it's for middle/high school aged homeschoolers. Well for homework I had them watch a bunch of movies on the subject (the dust bowl, the 20's, the Red Baron, the Grapes of Wrath). The. n we talked about the cynical side (as this class is all about the myth vs reality of us history)... They were getting board with the reasons for WWI, who was assassinated, who joined because of a treaty with who, then bam....what was our noble reason? The great US of A, the fighters for justice the world over? Economics, the Germans dared to get their subs in the way of our exports...therefore Woodrow Wilson's "we are neutral" became "oh, no they di'nt!", etc...

Anyway, the more droll the topic, the more I turn into a stand-up comic...I'm usually exhausted by the end of the day! Lol

OMG! I loved the Dead Poet's Society. That left an impression on me for years. Can't say that I am as good as that teacher at grabbing a student's attention. lol
I like the 10 minute timer idea. I think that would move a story along pretty quickly if you were "dying" trying to make it interesting.

farm" id="0"]

My biggest influence when I was teaching was the Dead Poet's Society. I would get kids attention by taking off my shoes (wearing funny/mismatched socks), standing on my desk, moving everyone to the floor, doing the improv sketch where someone has to constantly be standing sitting and lying down. I have them make puppets and act it out. I make voices for the different characters. Sing the information, make sound effects.

When all else fails I set a timer for 10 minutes and say, let's do as much as we possibly can in the Power time then we'll just move on.

My biggest influence when I was teaching was the Dead Poet's Society. I would get kids attention by taking off my shoes (wearing funny/mismatched socks), standing on my desk, moving everyone to the floor, doing the improv sketch where someone has to constantly be standing sitting and lying down. I have them make puppets and act it out. I make voices for the different characters. Sing the information, make sound effects.

When all else fails I set a timer for 10 minutes and say, let's do as much as we possibly can in the Power time then we'll just move on.

I was pretty good in the PS at catching their attention, but my own kids, they have gotten very used to my strangeness and now they can ignore it. Sad, I know!

Quoting kirbymom: OMG! I loved the Dead Poet's Society. That left an impression on me for years. Can't say that I am as good as that teacher at grabbing a student's attention. lol
I like the 10 minute timer idea. I think that would move a story along pretty quickly if you were "dying" trying to make it interesting.
farm" id="0"]

My biggest influence when I was teaching was the Dead Poet's Society. I would get kids attention by taking off my shoes (wearing funny/mismatched socks), standing on my desk, moving everyone to the floor, doing the improv sketch where someone has to constantly be standing sitting and lying down. I have them make puppets and act it out. I make voices for the different characters. Sing the information, make sound effects.

When all else fails I set a timer for 10 minutes and say, let's do as much as we possibly can in the Power time then we'll just move on.

Exactly! My *strangeness* is no longer interesting. So now I am left trying to find something that will get that wonder and attention back. :)

Quoting bluerooffarm:

I was pretty good in the PS at catching their attention, but my own kids, they have gotten very used to my strangeness and now they can ignore it. Sad, I know!

Quoting kirbymom: OMG! I loved the Dead Poet's Society. That left an impression on me for years. Can't say that I am as good as that teacher at grabbing a student's attention. lol
I like the 10 minute timer idea. I think that would move a story along pretty quickly if you were "dying" trying to make it interesting.

farm" id="0"]

My biggest influence when I was teaching was the Dead Poet's Society. I would get kids attention by taking off my shoes (wearing funny/mismatched socks), standing on my desk, moving everyone to the floor, doing the improv sketch where someone has to constantly be standing sitting and lying down. I have them make puppets and act it out. I make voices for the different characters. Sing the information, make sound effects.

When all else fails I set a timer for 10 minutes and say, let's do as much as we possibly can in the Power time then we'll just move on.

We specifically doodle note take about the subject. This way, they can share with one another afterward and we get a little review that way. I also get some idea of their interest and intake of the info.

Sometimes I put out objects that coincide with the lesson. Even potting soil to just dig in quietly (outside) if we are learning about plants, water or nitrogen cycles, etc...

Sometimes picture books on the subject, but not a lot of words because they will stop listening.

I've also found it worth it to buy them their own text books so we can take turns reading aloud. They don't know when I will switch to the next reader, so they follow along better and absorb more.

Quoting kirbymom: I think I like your doodle note taking idea. Do you doodle just anything or what pertains to the story?

Quoting KrissyKC: Mine really love to be engaged. Simply asking questions and being interested in their answers go a really long way.

LOL! That's one of my biggest sadnesses about homeschooling. I don't get a whole new crew of kids to appreciate my strangeness all over again!

Quoting kirbymom: Exactly! My *strangeness* is no longer interesting. So now I am left trying to find something that will get that wonder and attention back. :)

Quoting bluerooffarm:

I was pretty good in the PS at catching their attention, but my own kids, they have gotten very used to my strangeness and now they can ignore it. Sad, I know!

Quoting kirbymom: OMG! I loved the Dead Poet's Society. That left an impression on me for years. Can't say that I am as good as that teacher at grabbing a student's attention. lol
I like the 10 minute timer idea. I think that would move a story along pretty quickly if you were "dying" trying to make it interesting.
farm" id="0"]

My biggest influence when I was teaching was the Dead Poet's Society. I would get kids attention by taking off my shoes (wearing funny/mismatched socks), standing on my desk, moving everyone to the floor, doing the improv sketch where someone has to constantly be standing sitting and lying down. I have them make puppets and act it out. I make voices for the different characters. Sing the information, make sound effects.

When all else fails I set a timer for 10 minutes and say, let's do as much as we possibly can in the Power time then we'll just move on.

Okay. Then, do you help them decide what to doodle or do they come up with their doodles on their own?

Quoting KrissyKC: We specifically doodle note take about the subject. This way, they can share with one another afterward and we get a little review that way. I also get some idea of their interest and intake of the info.

Sometimes I put out objects that coincide with the lesson. Even potting soil to just dig in quietly (outside) if we are learning about plants, water or nitrogen cycles, etc...

Sometimes picture books on the subject, but not a lot of words because they will stop listening.

I've also found it worth it to buy them their own text books so we can take turns reading aloud. They don't know when I will switch to the next reader, so they follow along better and absorb more.

Quoting kirbymom: I think I like your doodle note taking idea. Do you doodle just anything or what pertains to the story?

Quoting KrissyKC: Mine really love to be engaged. Simply asking questions and being interested in their answers go a really long way.

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